At Eternity's End: New Worlds
by The Clawed Butterfly
Summary: The much-awaited reunion between the soon-to-be king and the former warrior goddess is here. The peaceful lives they thought they've found are being shaken once more as fate has other plans for them. Once more, they are thrown together to ensure that all will finally be right in Fabula Nova Crystallis. [SEQUEL to At Eternity's End]
1. To Be Free

**_A/N: Welcome to the sequel of At Eternity's End! This starts off at the end of Lightning Returns and the end of Final Fantasy XV, so expect some spoilers...and fluffiness!_**

* * *

_Who are you?_

Noctis could no longer count the number of times he'd asked the painting of Etro that. He'd hoped again and again that it would be Lightning's voice that would call back to him, though she'd only ever echoed his question in his dreams before. This time, only silence answered him.

He waited just a minute longer before turning away.

Days, weeks, months had passed since the pink-haired knight had left – saved – Lucis. He wasn't entirely sure how she'd done it, but he knew in his heart that it involved her becoming crystal and returning to the Unseen Realm. That was how and where he'd first met her, after all.

And ever since she'd gone away, the prince had felt unbearably restless.

He would find himself pacing the library floors, flipping through countless of pages without really reading any of the text on them.

He would think of many excuses so as not to have the guest room tidied up by the house help.

And he would constantly visit the crystal chamber where he had last seen Etro's champion.

That was exactly what he was doing right now.

* * *

The monarch lifted a hand to trace one of the rose petals with his finger. It felt both warm and cold to the touch.

_Are you doing well?_

_Were you finally able to save your sister?_

He never spoke her name out loud. He believed that if he did, he would have to come to terms with the fact that she was never coming back. Somehow, he didn't think he was ready for that just yet.

He was being childish, he knew. Running away from reality never benefited anyone. It especially didn't fill up the hole in his heart.

With all of the time he had to mull over things in the crystal room, he'd come to realise several truths. One was that the hole in his heart had not originally been this...gaping.

It had started off tiny with the death of his mother. While he never really got to know her, it still hurt growing up without having a maternal figure to guide him, love him.

The hole then grew bigger when he lost his father. He could never forget the pain of being unable to protect his only remaining blood relative from the enemy. It had been that same pain that had kept him going on his path for revenge.

And it was on that very same bloody and bitter path on which he lost yet another important person – his childhood friend, Stella.

Though he hadn't trusted her in the beginning, she had proven herself to him by helping him again and again. He'd been thankful for her presence, but he'd never really thought of the risks she'd be in. In the end, she had died by his side, like many others.

Having lost the crystal they'd all been trying hard to protect, Noctis had felt that he had failed everyone.

_You've more than atoned for your sins. It's about time you stop beating yourself up inside._

_You were able to protect Lucis in the end. You've even given us another crystal._

_You did good. I'm sure everyone would be proud._

The words of his friends echoed in his mind. He was supposed to feel happy. He'd managed to get what they had all wished for, after all.

Instead, he felt even more empty than before.

It had taken Lightning's leaving for him to realise that she had become a valuable part of his being. In the months they'd spent together, he'd never felt more human...and whole. He would be forever thankful that he got to meet her.

But now she was gone. She had returned to where she truly belonged. She was most probably doing just fine without him.

While he...he just wanted to see her one more time. He never did get to thank her for everything she'd done.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

* * *

Pale blue eyes reflected the scenery outside the window as the train she was riding rushed by.

Lightning had just refused an interview with a reporter who was interested about memories of "another world". After all she had been through, she figured that that kind of information was something the new world would be better off without.

She believed that it was best to just let the past be and focus more on the future.

She was currently headed to a place called _Blanc-Château_. Of what she heard of it, it was a village where people could enjoy nature yet still be connected to the rest of the world. Somehow, it reminded her of Bodhum and it made perfect sense that it would be where she could finally, finally, _finally_ be reunited with her friends.

She and the others had been fighting for way too long, it seemed. They had experienced and endured many painful things and more than deserved to live in peace.

As she stepped off the train, she finally let reality sink in.

She and those who mattered to her were, at last, _free_.

* * *

**_I'd first posted this as the 23rd chapter of AEE but decided to make it a separate story because several things are to happen after. How do you like it? I really wanna know! :)_**


	2. To Be Relaxed

_**A/N: I'm aiming to get this done before the release of the FFXV game so I won't be bothered to make changes along the way.**_

* * *

The people of his world had two nicknames for their planet. One was _Second Gran Pulse_ and the other was _Second Nova Chrysalia_. This was because there were several individuals who claimed to have memories of another world. There were even news reports about the subject. Most of them were written by a well-known correspondent named Aoede.

Noctis was not the type to be interested on past lives and other supernatural incidences. He had many 'magical' things going on in his life already. One of these was Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus forcing him to go on a long vacation. They had even booked his accommodation, plotted out his itinerary, and packed his luggage for him. As much as he wanted to resist, they were right – he really did need a break.

He had not been getting much sleep as of late, which made him rather irritable towards not only his friends but also to the royal council. That led to things not getting done, which spelt bad for the kingdom. So, he gave in to their requests and went off on holiday to some country on the other side of the planet.

It was his first time travelling alone. Though he had been a bit hesitant when he left the castle, he felt better now that he'd finally arrived at his destination. Plus, he was sure he could rely on his friends to attend to Lucis while he was away.

* * *

His first stop was his accommodation.

It was a quaint bed and breakfast which was painted a caramel brown and stood three storeys tall. Surrounding it was a garden of flowers that was enclosed by a white picket fence. From outside, it looked rather homey and he understood why his friends chose it for his stay. Etro knows he could use some rest and relaxation.

When he stepped inside, he found a guy wearing a hoodie manning the receptionist desk. He asked him about his reservations and was immediately whisked to his room.

He soon found out that he was going to stay in what the establishment called their VIP suite. While the chamber was not as luxurious as the condo-type units offered by huge hotel chains, it had enough space to hold several pieces of furniture including a bed, a dresser, a sofa, a coffee table, and a television set. A door near the chest of drawers led to an en suite bathroom with a tub and shower among other amenities.

After being given information about room service and guided tours, he was promptly left to tend to his own devices. And he got right to it by putting away his clothes and informing his friends of his safe arrival.

* * *

As it was already well into the afternoon, Noctis decided that he would just go for a walk around the neighbourhood. Then, he would return in time for dinner and after which he would get some rest from the long trip. Visiting attractions and participating in other activities would have to wait until the next day.

His destination was everything that everyone loved about the countryside. The air was fresh, there were plenty of trees, the houses were beautiful, and the community was close-knit.

He stretched out his arms and took a deep breath as he walked down the road from the inn. He passed by a group of children who were playing tag and an old couple who were trimming the bushes on their front yard. A small smile found its way to his lips as he enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of having no escorts, and no enemies either.

After ambling down a few blocks, he plopped down on a sidewalk bench and proceeded to watch those who were walking by. There were teenage girls who giggled and gave him a few glances. There were dog owners who were either walking or playing with their pets. There were couples who held hands and whispered to each other. There were plenty of interesting people for him to watch and so he spent most of the time before dinner doing just that.

* * *

Just as Noctis stood up from the bench, he bumped into someone who seemed familiar. After muttering a quick apology, he realised that it was the receptionist at the bed and breakfast. He was accompanied by an olive-skinned woman with dark hair.

"Oh! Hey there! You headed back?"

The prince nodded and they all walked to the B&amp;B together. The journey back was silent at first then his companions introduced themselves and began peppering him with questions. They were mostly about where he was from and why he decided to go on vacation at such a faraway place.

The monarch answered them as best as he could without sharing that he was a royal. He didn't want people to start fluttering around him. He just wanted to relax. He didn't bring any escorts for that sole reason.

"So, were you able to visit any of the attractions?"

"Uh, no. I'm planning to do so tomorrow though."

"Well, we have someone who could act as a tour guide, if you're interested."

They were just a stone's throw away from the entrance of the inn as the Caelum stopped to consider their offer.

"Hmm. Well-"

"Talking about our guide, there she is."

The dark-skinned woman had turned to the direction opposite to where they had come from.

"Hey there, Sunshine! Meet our new guest. You'll be giving him a tour starting tomorrow."

The moment the person approaching them entered his line of sight, Noctis felt like the world was moving in slow motion.

For a moment he thought that he was hallucinating, that he was only imagining things. But the way she frowned at the woman beside him, the way she crossed her arms on her chest, the way she trained her pale blue eyes on him . . . they were all too real.

"Right. Noct, this is-"

He blurted out her name without thinking, taking all of them by surprise.

"Lightning."

To which the pink-haired woman before him only raised her eyebrow and said...

"...Who are you?"

* * *

**_I'm getting these ideas in my head about making this story an M sometime in the future. Hahahaha. What do you guys think?_**


	3. To Be Introduced

_**A/N: I'm striving to update this at least once a week *crosses fingers***_

* * *

"...Who are you?"

Noctis Lucis Caelum was the type of person who liked to keep his wits about him as much as possible. Though he had to admit that he had been rather brash and naïve in his younger years, he'd grown up now. Thus, he believed that he was capable of thinking his way out of all types of things with minimal to no damage on his person, mental or otherwise. Unfortunately for him, his brain chose that exact moment to shut down.

* Silence *

After a short pause, he felt the dark-skinned woman casually sling an arm over his shoulders. He remembered that she had introduced herself as Fang earlier.

_Aha! He remembered!_ That was a good sign that his grey matter was slowly starting to reboot.

"Oh, you know our little piece of sunshine?"

"Uh, I-"

He looked at Lightning questioningly. He wasn't entirely sure if she was being serious or just pulling his leg. She had her poker face on, after all. He even half-hoped that she'd say she was only joking then proceed to introduce him to her friends. But it didn't seem like that was going to happen, so he made a decision.

"...No. I've only heard of her before. This is...my first time meeting her."

His heart clenched a little as he said those words. He only hoped that he wouldn't regret them later.

"How about we all head inside for now? We can continue our introductions there."

The guy with the hoodie—he'd said his name was Yuj—directed everyone to the entrance of the inn.

* * *

Unfortunately for the prince, he was not given the chance to speak with Light any further. As upon entering the bed and breakfast, he had been quickly ushered by a redhead in pigtails into the dining room.

"Please have a seat! Here's our menu for dinner tonight! We have different offerings every evening! Would you like me to give you details about any of our dishes?"

As he had been somewhat caught by surprise, the Caelum just allowed the girl to seat him at one of the tables in the middle of the dining area. He also gingerly accepted the carte du jour that was handed to him.

Fang, who had taken a seat across him, snickered once he had finally opened the menu.

"Would you slow down, Vanille? He's gonna get whiplash!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"Anyway, I'll have some of Lebreau's steak with lots of mashed potatoes on the side."

"Alrighty! The regular then."

Fang then directed a toothy grin at Noctis while he continued to scan through the list of dishes.

"Our cook is pretty good so order anything ya want. I'm sure ya'll love it."

"...I guess I'll have the roasted chicken with gravy. And the vegetable salad please."

Vanille jotted down their orders with a nod before turning back to them to ask about their refreshments.

"Beer for me."

"A glass of iced tea please."

* * *

The dining area was actually quite lovely. Violet curtains framed the glass windows while black and white chequered cloths covered the wooden tables. Though no chandeliers hung from the ceiling, mason jar lanterns gave the room a warm and comfortable ambiance. It was a wonderful place to bond with friends and family while feasting on a variety of delicious dishes. Noctis was unable to enjoy the environment nor the food though as he was rather distracted by something—or, rather, _someone_.

Earlier, he had spotted Lightning having supper at a corner table. She was joined by a silver-haired teenage boy along with two other individuals, one middle-aged and the other a child, who both sported afros.

Even though Fang tried to keep him entertained by bombarding him with facts about the village, he couldn't help but keep on stealing glances at Light. Every now and then, his dinner companion would ask him a question which he would gracefully answer without revealing much of himself. He wasn't entirely sure how much he could trust the people around him, after all. While he knew he could rely on Etro's Champion, from the look of things, she didn't even remember him one bit.

The Caelum let out a small sigh as he continued to poke at the remnants of his salad.

This didn't go unnoticed by Fang, who had been casually observing him the whole time. She certainly hadn't missed how his eyes constantly landed on her friend, even as he strived to appear interested on their conversation.

"You interested in visiting any of the attractions I told ya about?"

"Yes, I think. I mean, why not?" This was followed by another sign from the monarch.

Oerba Yun Fang then fought back a teasing remark that was bubbling in her throat as she watched the man across her slowly rise from their table. The said man then excused himself saying that he was going to retire for the night.

* * *

In his peripheral vision, Hope saw Fang saunter over to their table with a small smirk on her face. From their many years of acquaintance, he knew better than to question what was behind her facial expression. That was because he knew she would tell them, whether they asked her or not.

The first thing she said was, "You sure are something, aren't ya, Sunshine?"

The Farron just scoffed then sipped on her glass of cola.

"Anyway, you got a guided tour to do tomorrow. With the VIP."

Hope had been rather curious about their important guest initially, but he didn't want to poke around other people's business. So, he decided to just let the guy be. Maybe he was like many of their other guests in the past. Nothing special.

"He didn't say what time you'll head out, but ya know the drill. Make sure ya take really good care of Mr. Caelum, yeah? And I mean really good care."

"Fang, shut up."

Okay, Hope was _really_ curious about their VIP now. Who cares if people will think of him as a gossip, right?

* * *

_**A/N: Just a brief interlude before the many things to come. Also had to get some of the character introductions out of the way. Whew~ Are you guys expecting anything in future chapters? Let me know and I'll see what I can do. ehehe~**_


	4. To Be Advised

**_A/N: I've rewritten some parts of the story from this chapter onwards._**

* * *

His feet fell into a dull rhythm as he trailed after her on the footpath. He and his pink-haired guide were currently meandering through a meadow full of sweet-smelling lilies in what Lightning said was the first part of his tour. As he had been forewarned that they were going to spend a good part of their morning walking, he allowed his mind to stray for a while on the events that occurred earlier that day...

* * *

_He had risen at dawn, just in time to catch the breathtaking view of the sunrise on the horizon. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air then forced his protesting body to perform a few basic stretches. Yet as much as he wished that his exercise routine would help him feel even a teeny bit rejuvenated, it did not. He had, after all, spent the last few hours tossing and turning on the bed before giving in to bouts of fitful sleep. So, he decided to head to the bathroom since he figured that a nice long shower would wake up his brain._

_It took him a good thirty minutes before he exited the bath as he'd rather enjoyed standing under the spray of cold water. It took him fifteen more minutes to get dressed in some comfortable clothes and ensure that his hair looked somewhat decent. Another five minutes were spent dragging his feet from his room to the dining area._

_The sight that greeted him there almost gave him a heart attack. You see, seated with her back to him was a pink-haired woman talking to a huge man with blonde hair. At first, he thought it was Light but upon closer inspection, the girl looked shorter and more...delicate. He assumed that it must be the younger sister whom he'd seen in a painting at the temple in La Tierra Santa._

* * *

_He walked past the couple and sat at a corner table where a menu was lying face up. Just as he was starting to wonder if there were any members of the waiting staff who were awake, the woman he'd spotted earlier approached him with a welcoming smile._

"_Hi, I'm Serah and I'll be your server this morning. Have you decided what you'd like for breakfast?"_

_Noctis blinked up at her to note the similarities in the appearance between Lightning and her sister before he answered with a small smile of his own._

"_Uh, yes. I'd like to have the continental breakfast please."_

"_Alrighty! Your food will be ready in a few minutes."_

_He then watched his server head to the entrance of the kitchen before the blonde guy from earlier walked into view with a grin on his face._

"_Morning! I'm Snow! Here's today's newspaper."_

_He said a 'thank you' as he accepted the paper from the man who then nodded at him and sauntered back to the table he'd come from._

* * *

_The prince had only been halfway through the second page when he heard people coming into the dining area. He'd assumed they were his fellow guests until Snow greeted them._

"_Morning, Vanille!"_

"_G'morning!"_

"_Morning, Sis. So, did you get any real sleep last night?"_

_A sigh. "Can you get any louder, Snow?"_

_Her voice almost made him scrunch up the paper in his hands. It also took much of his self-control to stop himself from taking a peek. But just when he thought that he'd won against the urge to put down the newspaper, a familiar voice greeted him a good morning._

_He had no choice but to look up at the girl whom he'd heard was called Vanille. From the expression on her face, she seemed to be concerned about something. Noctis had no idea what made her anxious, nor how it involved him._

"_Do you mind if I join you?"_

_The Caelum nodded though he was starting to feel nervous about what the girl had to talk about. Thankfully, his server entered the picture with his warm plate of food._

"_Serah, great timing! I need your support on this one."_

"_Huh?"_

"_About—you know!"_

"_Oh! Right."_

_At that, his server proceeded to take a seat. Excellent. There were two ladies who wanted to talk to him now. He wondered how they would react if he slid under the table to hide from their serious stares._

"_We met last night. I'm Vanille, by the way. I'm sure you know Serah. Nice to meet you!"_

_The girl extended a hand which the prince shook as he introduced himself._

"_Anyway, we'll just cut to the chase before the others realise what we're doing."_

"_Yes. Um, we heard that you have a guided tour scheduled today." Serah piped in._

"_And, well, we just wanted to make sure that you'd be...ready for it."_

_To that, a dark brow was raised urging the two women to continue._

"_We don't know where you may have heard—"_

"_Or read-"_

"_-about Lightning, but you need to know a few things."_

"_Uh-huh. One is that you're not the first."_

"_A lot of guys have come here before asking for her, you know."_

"_And though other girls would appreciate the attention, Light isn't exactly...thrilled about having fans."_

"_Oh but that doesn't mean we want you to go away!"_

_Vanille nodded vigorously. "That's right. While we may have shooed away some guys before, you're, well, you're okay!"_

"_Yes. You're probably the only polite guy out of all who came."_

"_That's why. We'll give you some tips about our very own Lightning!"_

_And a long speech followed on how he should go about getting to know Lightning Farron._

* * *

Noctis smiled at the memory. Serah and Vanille certainly gave him a lot of pointers, but he wasn't sure if any of them could be applicable to his situation. He, after all, wasn't someone who'd met Light for the very first time. He'd journeyed with her, in a world that was new to both of them. He'd been able to watch her up close and personal for nearly a month. As far as getting to know her went, he felt that knew enough. Then again, their bond _was_ one-sided now.

Bringing his mind back to the present, the prince watched the pink-haired woman stop and turn to him. She was probably wondering what was keeping him. But he merely continued walking until he was only a foot away from her. His proximity caused one of her eyebrows to raise in question yet he said nothing. He merely kept on staring at her for a full minute, as if she was the most puzzling thing in the world.

A part of him really wanted to grab her and shake her until her memories returned. However, another part told him to silently keep his distance because . . . The prince shook his head and started walking again. There were certain things that he didn't want to think about at the moment.

As he passed his tour guide on the path, he didn't notice how her eyes followed him as she wondered why he felt so familiar to her.

* * *

_**Just some very minor changes in this chapter so please look forward to the next chapters. :)**_


	5. To Be Stuck

**_A/N: Some parts of this chapter have been rewritten to improve the flow of the story._**

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Lightning and Noctis finally reached their destination: Aruba Cave. Its entrance was found at the base of a hill which could only be accessed by foot through a meadow and a small forest. Though it did not seem like much from the outside, it was said to be breathtaking inside.

The prince realised that his guide hadn't been exaggerating when she said the place was beautiful. He was only a dozen steps inside the cavern and already he was awed by the sight of many huge stalagmites and stalactites. These objects stood a bit taller than him and appeared to glisten in the light. Upon closer inspection, one could see that they had crystal specks embedded in them. Though the Caelum doubted that they imbued any power, they did make one feel like they were in a bejewelled wonderland.

As the roseate walked further into the cave, the brunette trailed after her. They just followed the direction of the tunnel, occasionally waving their torches around so as not to stumble in the dark. All the while Lighting explained how people had once wanted to mine in the cavern before it was turned into a heritage site. Noctis expressed that he was thankful as he was able to marvel at the natural beauty given by the gods.

Their short walk brought them to a dome-like area which featured a small lake surrounded by stalagmites. The tour guide pointed to the ceiling where there was a hole that allowed light to shine in and reflect off of the still waters. Everything just looked and felt so surreal to the prince. He half-expected to find a sword stabbed into the ground that could only be removed by "the chosen one".

All too suddenly, thunder crashed and resounded through the cave. This was soon followed by a torrent of rain that fell into the lake.

"Hmm. Seems we're stuck here until the rain lets up." The roseate commented.

Noctis just nodded and thought back to the grey clouds he had noticed earlier during their lunch break. While he had expected some precipitation today, he'd thought that it would be later that night given how far off the clouds had been. It seemed that he'd underestimated the wind.

"Might as well make ourselves comfortable." Lightning said as she dropped her bag on the ground and sat cross-legged beside a stalagmite. The Caelum simply followed suit.

* * *

"Over here!" Noctis called out to Light as he carried both of their bags in his arms. He scooted closer to the wall as he made some space for his tour guide in what he deemed was the only dry spot in the area.

Both of them had drowsed off a bit while waiting for the chance to get out of the cave and head back to the village. Then the prince had been rudely awakened by the water that had seeped into the side of his pant leg. The moment he'd noticed the overflowing lake, he'd just grabbed their bags and roused his companion.

"What rotten luck." The woman huffed as she finally made her way to him.

The rain was still pouring and didn't look like it would stop any time soon. From what they could see of the hole in the ceiling, it seemed that the rain had caused the sides to crumble making more water fall into the already overflowing lake. What rotten luck indeed.

The spot they currently found themselves in was quite narrow so they stood close together as they both slung their bags over their shoulders and adjusted them to ride on their backs more comfortably.

"I'd hoped that we would be able to return early so that we could drop by the bakery as it's a local tourist attraction in itself."

"Well, there's always tomorrow, I suppose."

* * *

Lightning crossed her arms and stepped back as the water grew a little more closer. Noctis was practically sticking to the wall already so he couldn't give her any more space. As her back grazed his chest, he felt a blush quickly rising to his cheeks. He was immensely thankful that she wasn't be able to see it. That is until she turned to him with a very serious look on her face.

"Who are you really?"

"...What?"

"You—where—hn."

The roseate rubbed her forehead like she had a headache, or at least an oncoming one. Then she rambled on.

"Yesterday, you said that it was our first time meeting."

"You said that you'd read about me somewhere. But with how you said my name-"

"I...feel like I know you. Just now, I even dozed off..."

Lightning grabbed Noctis' collar and glared at him.

"Who _are_ you!?"

The whole time, the prince just kept silent and hid under his bangs.

When the roseate finally let go, Noctis surprised her by grabbing her into a tight embrace.

"What-"

"Just for a little while. Please."

And Lightning let him, because for some reason his scent, a musky and somewhat spicy fragrance, seemed all too familiar too her. In the back of her mind, she saw herself being kept warm by a black zip-up shirt that smelled exactly the same.

_When was that? _She couldn't help but ask herself that.

She started to pull away but he kept her in his embrace as he looked down into her electric eyes. The expression on his face clearly stated how he wanted to tell her so many things yet for some reason couldn't. Just when she was about to ask him what was running through his head, he tilted his face towards hers.

_Even this seems familiar, but why?_ Her mind was running a million thoughts per minute but she couldn't grasp any answers.

Even when his nose was grazing hers, she didn't step away.

Why, why, why did she feel like she could trust this man? _Why!?_

Her mind simply started to shut down when Noctis sighed against her lips...before he backed away.

* * *

**_I hope you find the flow of the story a lot better now. Please let me know what you think so I can write better. :)_**


	6. To Be Cranky

**_A/N: You should see a huge change in this chapter from what I originally wrote..._**

* * *

_The moment had been magical, yet . . ._

He was the one who stepped away, slowly unwinding his arms from their tight embrace of her. He took a deep breath as he rested his back against the wall. For a brief moment, he revelled in the scent of roses and the sight of her up close. So it was with great reluctance that he broke their eye contact and hid his eyes with his bangs.

"...I'm sorry." Those were the first words he said after he gave her some space. Somehow, he missed her even more.

Lightning simply stood there staring at him. Her brain, which had now started back up, was trying to process what had just happened. A part of her wanted to smash her fist on his nose, but for some reason the strength never made it to her hand. Instead, she found herself glancing up to the hole in the ceiling.

"The rain has stopped."

She turned back to him, finding his eyes on her face once again. In those dark depths, she clearly saw guilt along with another emotion, an emotion she refused to think about at that moment.

"I believe it would be best if we returned to the inn now, Mr. Noctis."

She turned away. With that single action, she dismissed what had occurred between them. Well, at least she tried to. As she took her first step away from him, she knew that the memory would taunt her the whole way home.

It did.

* * *

A great sigh of frustration escaped his lips as he ran his fingers through his hair. Rivulets of water were cascading down his tense body from the showerhead, washing away the dirt and grime that had stuck to his skin during his adventure earlier. He knew there was one thing that the water wouldn't be able to wash away though, that was the sensation of their embrace. Even if he would scrub his arms a hundred, no, a _million_ times, he was certain that he'd still recall the wonderfully warm feeling.

It had not been the first time that they'd shared such an intimate act. The first had been when Light had been ill and needed to stay warm. He had held her in his arms many times after then, but he was certain that she didn't remember any of those instances, even before this weird circumstance of amnesia.

He turned the knob to stop the shower and reached for one of the towels hanging on the rack. While he patted himself dry, he began to wonder how the rest of his tour would go now that...yeah. Their journey back had not been the most social of activities, after all. Awkward silence: that had been what made up most of it. It had only been broken when they arrived at the entrance to the inn when Light instructed him to be ready by 7 the next day.

He let out another great sigh. He figured that his best move at the moment would be to do as he was told.

* * *

Surprisingly, the rest of his tour went rather smoothly. He was quite impressed with how Lightning remained very professional the whole time. She described every attraction that they visited with a clear voice which was never tense or indifferent. Also, she responded to him whenever he asked something or made a comment.

While all of this made him feel somewhat relieved, he couldn't help but be a tad disappointed that she could easily brush off something that was a big deal for him. He supposed that he should just be thankful that she didn't beat him up. He really didn't want to be on her bad side, especially when he wasn't sure if she'd be able to recover her memories of him or not. If worse came to worst, he needed to leave a good impression if he wanted to be close to her again somehow.

At the moment, his only plan of helping her remember was closely observing her movements and casually asking about her life. It was rather similar to how he'd gotten to know her in the beginning. He believed that familiar things would be able to jog her neurons. He just had to ensure to take things slowly so as not to make a mess of things. That's right; he had to avoid sudden or weird actions (like spontaneous hugging) at all costs.

* * *

On the final day of his trip, he woke up feeling like a zombie. He'd been quite anxious the night before as he'd seen no progress of Lightning recalling him _at all_. As much as he wanted to extend his holiday, he knew he couldn't put off his royal duties any longer. He had more than his own life to think about, after all. His friends were coming to pick him up later that day.

He was immersed in his thoughts as he headed for the dining room that it wasn't until he was at the threshold that he noticed a commotion inside. A man, who appeared to be drunk out of his mind, was rudely going off about his rights, his money, and someone acting all high and mighty. He was rather loud and seemed to be at the verge of flipping a few tables.

Noctis wasn't the type to meddle in the affairs of other people. But he was feeling cranky that day. Plus when he saw that the drunk was speaking—or more like shouting—at Lightning, he felt compelled to interfere.

**"Ev'ry other week *hiccup* I come 'ere every other week! *hiccup* And ya still act all cold!"**

The man grabbed Lightning's arm and gave her a rough shake. The prince wondered why she didn't send the guy flying when he realised that the other patrons had begun to come down for breakfast. A fight breaking out would be really bad for business. He stepped in the one-sided fray.

"Uh, hi. It's too early for this, don't you think?"

He suddenly found himself at the receiving end of the drunk's glare. He returned it with what he hoped looked like a pacifying smile. He got his collar grabbed for the effort.

**"*hiccup* Who're you?"**

Before the Caelum could get a word in edgewise, the guy slurred on.

**"Tourist? *hiccup* Got her as yer _guide_ too? HA! *hiccup* Well, I gotta her first!"**

The man started to roughly shake him with every sentence that followed.

**"Been coming 'ere ev'ry other week! *hiccup* Paid lotsa money ta always have 'er gimme a tour, yeah. *hiccup* She's mine!"**

He was thrown to a table, which was painful, but he knew he would live. He had been through worse. He wasn't entirely sure that he could keep his cool though; that last sentence got him all worked up.

He huffed as the drunk loomed over him. It seemed that the guy wasn't done yet. Noctis hoped there wouldn't be a lot of damage done on the furniture later. Then again, he could always ask Ignis to have them replaced if necessary.

**"She don't need ya. *hiccup* So go back to whichever hole ya crawled outta. *hiccup* Ya don't even deserve to look at her!"**

_Okay, the bastard was seriously pissing him off._

Lightning swiped the man's legs from under him and Noctis took the chance to grab the guy's arm and twist it around his back.

"Now listen here. No one should be stupid enough to be this plastered this early in the morning."

He slammed the man's face against the wall as he roared out.

"And you should be the one to stay away from _**my wife**_!"

If there were any crickets around, it would have been the perfect time for them to start singing. Really, the silence that followed his statement was so thick he could slice it with a few of his swords.

Apart from mentally banging his head against the wall, all he could think of was, "so much for my plan to avoid all types of sudden or weird actions around Lightning."

* * *

**_Hahahaha! Wanted to inject some humour in there. I hope you like it. :P_**


	7. To Be Interrogated

**_A/N: Yet another major change here._**

* * *

"I'm sorry."

How many times had he apologised by then? The truth is, he can no longer remember. Not when Lightning was practically breathing down his neck as he carried his luggage to the foyer.

"So you just made it up?"

Her arms were crossed over her chest as she huffed and puffed about what he blurted out in the dining room earlier. What he said was stupid, he couldn't deny that. He was just thankful that the drunk left right after, even though it was with the threat that he would spread the news of Light's "married status". As many of the customers were single men looking to luck out, that would be problem. And THAT was why the pinkette seemed like she wanted to seriously throttle the prince.

When Noctis finally turned to her with a huge sigh, she had already begun tapping her left foot in impatience.

"I can't...tell you right now."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Who knew a person's eyebrow could be raised as high as that?

"It's just that-"

"LIGHTNING!?"

Both the brunette and the roseate turned to the newcomer who was gaping like a fish at the entrance of the inn. It was Prompto, and he seemed like he wanted to say more but Noctis kept on signalling him to keep quiet and that he would explain later.

It was only a few moments after that Ignis and Gladiolus arrived. Though they clearly looked surprised as well, they managed to understand the current situation and dragged Prompto out by his collar.

"It seems that your friends recognise me as well."

He could totally see a nerve ticking on her forehead.

"Well..."

He cleared his throat.

"Perhaps they do, okay? But I can't—I can't tell you why. Not here, not right now."

That was the second time that day that he got his collar grabbed. From the way things were going, he would need to have his shirt replaced soon.

"I swear to Etro if you don't-!"

"Light, please. Please hear me out."

"Dammit! When you say my name like that, it's like I can hear an echo in the back of my head!"

She had begun pacing the lobby like a predator on the prowl. He really didn't want to be the prey, but it was too late to complain about that.

"I'll tell you. But on one condition."

Doubt filled her eyes as she glared at him. He understood, of course. In her eyes, they were barely acquainted.

"Come to Lucis. You'll find out there."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plain black access card, one of which only five were ever made. They were manufactured solely for distribution to those who were considered close friends with the prince. But she didn't need to know that. He wanted to live through their meeting, after all.

He handed over the card along with a piece of paper on which he scribbled the address to the palace.

"...Just tell them that you want to see me."

She flipped over the card but there was nothing there to give her any clues as to who Noctis was.

"...I'll think about it."

With a slight nod, the brunette turned and walked away.

The hand that was carrying his bag was shaking and his breathing was off, but he hoped that the roseate wouldn't notice any of it. He was the crown prince and soon-to-be king of Lucis. He had been trained since birth to face almost all types of people. But in front of her, he always seemed to be just like every other ordinary man.

With no title or crown to hide behind, he was absolutely terrified. _What if she decided that he wasn't worth it? What if she didn't want to know, in the end?_ All those unanswered questions made his blood turn cold.

_What if he never got to see her again?_ He already lost her once. The first time had not been because of any of his actions, but this time it would be. Would he be able to take it? _Would he?_

His luggage thudded to the ground as he made an abrupt one-eighty. With an unreadable expression in his eyes, he marched right back up to her. And before she could even react, he had grabbed her arms.

"Just-" Noctis could feel a lump in his throat as he willed himself to continue speaking. He took a deep breath.

"Please do come."

With wide eyes, Lightning simply watched him hurriedly grab his bag and jog out of the bed and breakfast.

All the while, Noctis could only think..._don't you dare look back_. If that was the last time they would meet, then he would accept that fate.

As he got into the car, he swore to himself that if she didn't want to know then he wouldn't bother her ever again. But he would make sure to remember all that they went through together, even if it would only be he that would cherish those memories.

* * *

**_Poor Noctis. I don't envy you. It hurts to be forgotten. :(_**


	8. To Be Hesitant

_**A/N: A brief, yet somewhat sweet, interlude. Things have been quite...'busy' lately so I can't update as much as I would want to.**_

* * *

Eyelashes a dark shade of pink fluttered against pale cheeks like butterflies. Eyes a breathtaking mix of electric blue and sea green took in the sunlight that came in through the windows. Finally, a sigh that was part yawn escaped full lips.

Another morning, another day.

She stretched languidly to get rid of the minor kinks in her body. The major ones she was going to address in her morning exercise routine. However, just as she tried to prop herself up on her elbows, the arm that had been slung on her stomach brought her in for an embrace. She then found herself held to a toned chest that smelled spicy and distinctly male.

"Time to get up," she said as she flicked his collarbone.

"Three minutes," he mumbled in reply, not even flinching.

With a roll of her eyes, she pushed away from him. Or at least she tried to. He had nimbly rolled their bodies so that he would lay atop her. His sleepy blue eyes looked down into her own as a soft smile crept its way onto his lips.

"Good morning," he said as he slowly closed the distance between them.

"Morning," she replied as his breath ghosted over her lips.

Her eyes fell shut...

Then Lightning woke up.

* * *

Sleep was a luxury that she rarely had the chance to enjoy. Even during her crystal stasis, she did not feel well-rested. Though she'd had no dreams, she'd heard voices calling out to her.

Now that the situation involving Bhunivelze and other gods and goddesses was over, she'd thought that she would finally be able to relax. How wrong she was as things seem to have gotten a lot worse now. She was practically an insomniac! Plus, whenever she got the chance to actually get some shut-eye, she would be plagued by the oddest of dreams about a certain brunette.

She was just thankful that her body was trained to function properly even on very few hours of rest.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere?" Serah asked her as she spread blueberry jam on a buttered toast.

"I don't have any tours booked this morning," she answered before taking a bite of her breakfast.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, Light," the younger Farron giggled then took a sip of tea.

"That guy..."

"Feels familiar to you, I know."

"I don't want to drag you into another mess—"

"How do you even know it's another mess?"

"Even without seeing them for myself, I know that guy has powers. I'm not sure how, I just do."

"All the more you should see him, don't you think? Even if it's just to tell if he's dangerous or not."

In the back of her mind, Lightning felt certain that he was not. At least not to her or to any of the people around her. She didn't know where that came from, but she was compelled to trust Noctis.

She had to know why he brought out such thoughts.

_No. No no no._ She couldn't afford to get Serah and the others involved in any trouble again.

* * *

The following day, she stepped out of the cab she'd hired to bring her to the address written on the paper. The sight in front of her didn't seem new to her. It was like she had seen the façade of the imposing structure before. Yet she simply shrugged off the feeling. She already had too many things to think about.

The place was more of a fortress than anything. Briefly Lightning wondered what kind of stuff Noctis hid away from the world that such a huge building had to be erected. Did they have a pile of jewels in there or something?

Before her imagination could get the best of her, she strode towards what appeared to be the pedestrian entrance to the premises. Though she still felt hesitant, she knew Serah was right about getting some answers. If he had tampered with her memories or anything of the sort...

"Halt. Only authorised individuals are allowed to proceed," one of the guards warned her when she was about three feet away.

She slowly reached into her pocket to bring out the access card. She then raised both her hands to show that it was the only item in her grasp.

The security personnel gestured for her to approach the module right beside the gate. It was some sort of scanner. She swiped the card on the top and a series of beeps were heard.

The gate swung open.

"Would you like us to announce your arrival, Ma'am?" the same guard asked her.

"Just tell whoever they are that I want to speak with Noctis."

There was a brief pause before the guard spoke into his communication device. "Sir, there is someone here who wishes to have an audience with His Highness. She has the VIP pass."

_His...Highness!?_

What had she gotten herself into?

Perhaps the thing about a pile of jewels was not as far off as she thought.

* * *

**_Note: Well, at least she's finally at Lucis, right? Whew~ A loved one is in the ICU and things are dire, so I'm not sure when I will update again. _**


	9. To Be Reminded

_**A/N: Life has been difficult, but I'm back now! I apologise for the very long wait (nearly a year) but it was only quite recently that I had to bury a dear loved one and the wound remains fresh. This is one of my ways of moving on so please stay with me. *bow***_

* * *

The prince of Lucis practically jogged all the way to the gardens where he'd asked the butler to bring his guest. If he were given the chance, he would have just teleported there. However, his nervousness had gotten the best of him; a fact that he would vehemently deny were he to be questioned.

Upon arriving at the glass doors that led outside, he took a deep breath and subtly checked his appearance. He didn't want to look dishevelled yet he didn't want to seem too polished either. Ah well, he had no time to be bothered with his looks.

He twisted the knob and felt the spring breeze greet him.

* * *

He found her admiring the bushes of red roses surrounding the fountain. He realised how fitting it was for her to do so. To him, they were always the flowers that suited her best. Beautiful, yet perfectly capable of defending themselves.

It reminded him of a story he once read when he was younger. In it was a little prince who loved a rose. The two had been separated when the little prince left his planet in search of adventure. However, the prince had returned to his rose in the end. Briefly he wondered if in his case it was the rose who was returning to the prince.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he watched her turn to inspect the raven statue that spewed water from its mouth. All too suddenly, Noctis felt apprehensive. It was only then that he realised that he had never bothered to wonder if she would be put off upon discovering that he was a prince. He had told the Light that he'd journeyed with, but not the Light that was currently walking around his gardens.

Would she be angry? Would she change her mind about wanting to know the truth? He hoped not. He seriously hoped not.

"Are you done talking to yourself?" Lightning asked out of the blue as she continued to stare at the fountain.

Ah, he'd been caught red-handed. Or perhaps red-faced would be the better term with how his cheeks were starting to rival the roses.

Clearing his throat, Noctis asked her whether she found the trip too long or tiring.

"I suppose it was all right, _Your Highness_."

Sarcasm practically dripped from her every word, making the Caelum squirm. _He was so screwed_.

"Ah, well-"

"Don't."

She finally turned to him with a serious expression on her face.

"Just tell me one thing."

At this, the prince nodded.

"Did a god or goddess send you to meet me?"

There was a long pause. It was mainly because Noctis did not expect her to ask such a question.

Did she deem him a threat of some kind?

"…No. Of course not."

The prince could see some of the tension depart from her shoulders at his answer. However, they were only getting started. He knew the worst was yet to come, when he brought out the big guns.

"I believe you. But there's a lot more that I want to know."

"I understand. Perhaps we could continue this inside?"

Gesturing for her to follow him, he led her back into the palace.

* * *

Their steps clicked and clacked on the marble floor as Lightning silently trailed after Noctis. The atmosphere inside wasn't exactly still, but it was relatively peaceful and quiet. In a sense, the air felt stiff and constricting. Then again, it was where royalty resided. It was supposed to embody elegance and formality and so on and so forth.

After walking down a few hallways, the Caelum finally stopped at a pair of doors which he gently opened. He waited for Light to enter before he also made his way inside.

They were at the palace library. To Noctis, it was a sanctuary full of memories. To Lightning, it was a place full of old books…and nostalgia.

For reasons unknown to her, she felt oddly comfortable in that room. It felt like she had been there before. Had she?

"Have I been here before?" she asked as she examined the titles of the books on the shelves.

"…Yes."

"With you?"

"With me."

Silently, he watched her pick up a book and flip through its pages. It was one of his favourites, a text about ancient mythology. In it, you could find stories about Etro, Lindzei and the other divine beings. He found it kind of amusing, considering how he'd once thought Light was Etro when he first saw her on her throne.

They had been through a lot since then. Though their journey together didn't even last for a month, he felt like he'd known her since forever. With a smile, he looked back to those times.

* * *

The prince jolted awake when he felt a finger poke his cheek. He felt slightly disoriented when he realised that he had fallen asleep on the couch. The number of times had he found himself there he could no longer count.

He looked up at the person who roused him from his slumber and was met with the frowning face of Lightning Farron. Immediately sitting up, he apologised profusely for his manners or lack thereof. How very rude of him to fall asleep when he had been entertaining a guest. He had been raised better than that. He continued to give himself a mental beating until his guest cleared her throat.

"Right. Now that you're awake, maybe we could finish where we left off?"

"Oh. Of course. Please, ask away. I shall do my best to answer your questions."

"…Where did we first meet?"

What an awkward question, but it had to be answered nonetheless.

"In Valhalla."

"How? Did you…die?"

"I . . . don't think so. It had been sudden, even a bit of shock to me."

"Tell me everything."

And Noctis did – or at least he tried to.

One person's memories can be different from another's. The parts one remembers aren't always the parts that another recalls. Still, he did his best to put together the pieces of their adventure in a land different from their own. The whole time he hoped that his words would make her remember.

". . . You were gone, leaving only a crystal behind. I assume that you'd returned then where you truly belonged."

He took a deep breath and tightly clasped his hands together.

"I . . . I never expected to see you again, considering we were from different worlds. But then, outside that bed and breakfast-"

He let out a short laugh.

"To say I was surprised would be an understatement, I suppose."

The way he said it was almost like a whisper.

Staring into her eyes, he waited for what felt like an eternity for her response or reaction. Her expressions had changed throughout the course of their long conversation but at the moment she appeared to be deep in thought.

He didn't blame her if she was still trying to take it all in. It was an awful lot of information and he hadn't even included the little moments in the inn or in the temple. He had merely stated the major points, which embarrassingly included the part about the marriage pact but that was neither here nor there with the present situation.

* * *

It was after some time that Light stood up from her seat and walked to the window. From where he was seated, Noctis could see that the sun had already set. They had been talking for quite a while but he didn't know that it had been that long a duration.

"Why don't I remember?"

The prince wasn't sure whether she was asking him or herself so he stayed silent. He didn't have an answer for her anyway.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Noctis bid whoever it was to enter. It was Ignis.

"I beg your pardon, but maybe you should have some dinner for now? You both need to eat."

At this, the prince nodded and stood from his spot on the sofa.

"We will follow you shortly."

When Ignis left, the Caelum turned to the knight with a gentle smile.

"I cannot and will not force you to remember. It is up to you to decide what to do from here on. I hope you will accept our offer for dinner and board even if it's only for tonight."

Looking into his sad eyes which were a hard contrast from his smile, Lightning could only nod in reply.

* * *

_**More drama and romantic moments to come so watch out for the next update. Please leave a review if you can so I know which parts you like or not. :)**_

* * *

_**I wish to take this chance to thank everyone who has supported this story so far.**_

_**261: I was so happy to see that someone is still reading this story. I really appreciate the reviews and I look forward to hearing more of what you have to say.**_

_**Raphie Lover: *blush* You are too kind but I will! I hope you'll enjoy the next updates.**_

_**Random Reader: I rewrote some parts of the story but not much. I'm afraid I might veer into a different direction if I make too many changes, you see. I hope you'll still appreciate it.**_

_**Dynasty101Warriors: Well, what do you think of this latest chapter? :)**_

_**OPFAN: I look forward to getting back to that issue. Light might just give Noctis a punch in the face, you never know.**_

_**Weasty: I want Lightning to remember everything too! But let's be patient. :)**_

_**nadeshiko-yuna: *squealing with you***_

_**Ruminesca: I hope you won't find the changes too bad. I did try to base their personalities for after the games.**_

_**Anonreader: Don't give me any mature ideas! I already have plenty! XD**_


	10. To Be Resolute

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Final Fantasy franchise.**_

* * *

It was already well into the night when Lightning decided to turn in. The past hour had been spent in the library, reading the book she had picked up earlier. She'd believed it had been the best option after an awkward dinner with the prince of Lucis and his friends.

As she read about Bhunivelze and Etro, she had also tried to find answers about the present situation. Considering how the gods had tried to mess with her life in the past, she wouldn't put it past them to meddle in her affairs right now. The thing is, none of those divine beings had sent Noctis to her. There wasn't even a clue as to how or why they met in the first place.

...

Shifting to lie on her side, the knight brought her thoughts to the royal whose palace she was currently staying in. She couldn't really say that she didn't remember him. Her dreams in the past several months did match with what she had heard from him. However, he still felt like a stranger to her.

With her existing memories, she has known him for only over a week. This made her feelings turn out to be quite a jumble. He felt familiar, yet not. She felt comfortable around him, yet not. She felt like she really knew him, yet not. How was all of this supposed to make any sense?

She let out a huge sigh, just one of the many she'd had that day.

...

With her finger, she traced the series of Caelum logos embroidered on the edges of the counterpane. She needed to figure out what she had to do from then on. Should she pursue this inquiry about a past she barely remembered? Or should she just go home and live as she had been for almost a year now?

When she thought about it, she'd been doing all right without remembering. She'd been giving tours to guests. She'd been enjoying meals and holidays with her family and friends. She'd travelled to other countries before their group had decided to live together in one place. She'd even learned how to cook with the help of her mother. So, really, _she would survive without knowing what had been_. She'd been doing a great job so far, after all.

* * *

It was still pretty early when Lightning joined Noctis and his gang for breakfast. It was to be expected though as she had always been an early riser. The meal remained an oddly silent affair, as if in continuation of the awkward dinner from the night before. And so the prince had been caught off-guard when the knight suddenly asked to speak with him alone after eating.

That was how they ended up in the garden once again, right in front of the red roses too. Though, this time, it was the Caelum who was keeping his eyes locked on the raven statue.

"Have you made up your mind?"

That was the only question he wanted to ask. To him, that was the only thing that mattered at that moment.

...

"Yes."

He kept silent, willing her to continue speaking.

...

"I've been doing great so far, even without the memories of La Tierra Santa."

Of course she was; Noctis knew that. She was, after all, finally reunited with her loved ones.

...

"I have a good job, a nice home and amazing companions."

He couldn't compare to all of that, now could he?

...

"So, really, I don't _need_ to remember."

Ah, why did that statement hurt him so much? It shouldn't hurt him so much.

...

"I have-"

He cut her off. "I understand, you can go-"

She touched his shoulder, urging him to look at her.

* * *

_The night before…_

Lightning knew that people could live without knowing certain things. Some would even end up happier without knowing this or that. She could be one of those people. She could move forward without certain memories.

Then, she remembered Noctis' expression earlier that evening. He had been smiling, but not really. It had obviously been fake. His eyes had been a different matter though. They had been more honest. Somehow, it reminded her of how she used to be—hiding her emotions behind a fake exterior.

It was then she realised that, like her previous self, the prince needed an anchor.

In the same way that Lightning had needed Serah even with all of the promotions and godlike power, Noctis needed Lightning even with all his successes and victories.

She wasn't entirely sure what made her special or why she should even bother, but she decided that if she could save him from becoming like her past self then she would.

* * *

"I have decided to stay, all the same."

...

It would be the understatement of the century to say that the prince was surprised at the turn of events. He had been pretty sure that the knight had decided to leave, given the words she had been spouting. Then, it was like the sun coming out after the rain.

...

For a few moments, he was left utterly speechless. He could only stare at her face, convincing himself that she wasn't joking.

"...Okay."

That was all he could say in a voice that was slightly above a whisper.

He had the smallest of smiles on his face, but Lightning saw that it was sincere compared to the one he gave her last night.

Who knew a tiny thing such as that would be enough to steel her resolve?

* * *

_**Some development, I think. Hahahaha. What do you think? Consider this as the vital transition into the meatiest parts of this story.**_


	11. To Be Informed

_**Author's Note: *cough, cough* Hello, I'm back after a really long hiatus. I'm sorry it's been so long. I was going through a mourning period then I went to Japan to give myself a break from everything. Anyway, here's an update. I hope you're still reading this story.**_

* * *

Though Lightning had said that she would be staying for a while, that didn't mean to say that she'd grown comfortable in the palace. It had been only a day and a half since she arrived, after all. It was only understandable that she felt horribly out-of-place even after Noctis told her to do as she pleased while he tended to important matters related to his kingdom.

Since the only places she was familiar with were her room, the gardens, and the library, she decided to while away her time reading about Lucis. The books she found were certainly helpful in explaining to her the local culture and cuisine. While the modern city was rather different from the rural Blanc-Chateau, Lightning was certain that she would be just fine should she venture into town on her own.

It was around four in the afternoon when she was suddenly joined by Noctis in the library. He appeared to be quite exhausted from the day's activities though he offhandedly mentioned that he still had many things to do in the evening.

"Your room would be a better place to get some rest, you know."

The prince merely shrugged and said that he had something to show her anyway. At this, Light's eyebrow rose to prompt him into explaining further.

Silently, Noctis walked to a section beneath the stairs. And through muscle memory, he pressed the buttons cleverly camouflaged on the shelves to open a hidden door. He turned back to her for a moment before walking into the secret room. It had been a silent gesture for her to follow him, and she did.

Once inside the crystal room, the first thing Lightning noticed was the pale blue lighting. She began to question the interior design tastes of her host when she finally realised that the light was coming from a very familiar crystal rose though it was in a different colour.

She stood frozen for a second before her legs led her to right in front of the pedestal.

"Why . . . ?"

She brought her hand up to touch the petals. A soothing hum resonated in her soul the moment contact was made. She was not mistaken; it was just like her crystal. But how could that be? She put her palm to her chest and subtly called for her powers. They were still there, sleeping soundly deep inside of her. She heard Odin grunt in question but she remained silent.

"I guess you recognise it?"

"When you said that a crystal appeared in my place, I wasn't expecting this."

"What do you mean?"

"...Nothing."

None spoke for a few minutes. They were both busy trying to form the right questions in their minds to be bothered by the silence. It was Lightning who spoke first and Noctis mentally thanked her for he was absolutely clueless where to start.

"Your powers, they come from the Lucis crystal, correct?"

"...Yes."

"As you mentioned, the crystal disappeared but your powers remained?"

"That's right."

"How was that possible?"

"Well . . . Back then, I was still connected the crystal somehow though it felt far away, as if it were on a different planet. Or perhaps a different realm would be the appropriate thing to say."

"When this crystal here appeared, what happened to your powers?"

"I'm not sure how to explain this but the connection transferred to this crystal. I don't know how or why, but the source of my magic is this crystal now. My link to the previous one severed and my soul just automatically connected to this one."

The pink-haired woman was dumbstruck. The prince of Lucis was connected to a crystal identical to hers? What did that mean? She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. From the look of it, the crystal wasn't harming anybody but she couldn't be sure. She had no idea what would be the right move from here on.

"Does it jog your memories?" she heard Noctis ask.

"Memories . . . ?"

"YO, NOCT!"

Both turned to the door where Gladiolus was standing.

"Your guest is here. You might wanna get out there."

Lightning cleared her throat and mumbled an excuse about needing some time to think. The royal merely nodded and guided her out of the room before following Gladiolus out the library.

* * *

**_I'm not sure if you know this but this story is far from over. More chapters are to follow and I hope I'll be able to write them quickly enough._**


	12. To Be Astounded

**_Author Note: In this chapter, I will be exploring a few facts about FFXV. It's about time that I did. I'm certain many of the LighTis fans will not be happy with what I'll be bringing up._**

* * *

Later that evening, Lightning ate with Prompto and Gladiolus. Ignis was nowhere to be found and neither was Noctis. Her dinner companions told her that very important guests had arrived and that the whole palace was abuzz with entertaining them. Since it didn't directly involve her, she merely shrugged and hoped that she would be able to speak with the prince again tomorrow.

After supper, the pink-haired woman decided that she would go on a leisurely stroll through the gardens for some fresh air. But just when she reached the glass doors that led outside, she encountered Ignis who was on his way to the kitchens for a late dinner. He advised her not to enter the gardens at that time since His Royal Highness was currently giving a tour to his guests. Coincidentally, they spotted Noctis passing by with a lovely blonde on his arm.

"That is Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae. She is set to marry His Highness very soon. The council has been laying a fair amount of pressure on them to finalise their wedding arrangements."

With a hum, Lightning stepped away from the doors and turned away. The last thing that she wanted to do was ruin a romantic moment so she nodded at Ignis and made her way to the library instead. Perhaps she would be able to find important hints from the myriad of books there.

* * *

There were probably half a dozen tomes piled on the coffee table in front of her. From them, she managed to glean only a small amount of information about crystals and the royal family. Well, it wasn't like she expected much from a library. She learned a long time ago that if she wanted answers she would have to explore different places to find them.

Letting out a huge sigh, she closed the book that sat on her lap. She needed to get out of there. She wasn't made for staying indoors and being in a luxurious environment, after all. She was a soldier, a knight, a warrior. She wasn't someone from a noble background like Noctis. In fact, her history wasn't exactly one worth talking about. Suddenly, she thought back to what she had seen earlier.

The prince had a happy smile on his face while conversing with his beautiful fiancée. Though she wasn't well-versed in relationships and love, Lightning thought the two were well-suited. Noctis had a whole life ahead of him here especially when it came to running his kingdom. She didn't want to drag him around on an adventure across continents just because she couldn't remember him or figure out what's up with the crystal.

True, she had promised to stay for a while but there was nothing for her to do in the palace. She couldn't help them manage Lucis. She wasn't even needed to protect the crystal because it was no longer in danger. When she really thought about it, her presence there wasn't exactly needed. But did that mean that she had to back out on her promise?

She laid her head back and mulled over what would be the right thing to do from there on.

* * *

The next morning, she ate breakfast alone. She had risen early and didn't want to go back to sleep. The smell of fresh bread and coffee had led her to the kitchens where the staff was more than happy to serve her some. She sat silently as she listened to the servants chatter excitedly about the wedding currently being discussed by the council. They greatly adored Lady Luna and wanted nothing more than to see her marry their prince.

Hearing their conversations, Lightning felt all the more out-of-place in the palace and in Lucis. She gracefully stood up from the table and thanked the staff for the food. It was at that moment that Prompto came in and asked for breakfast. He was soon followed by Gladiolus who greeted Lightning a good morning. She nodded at both of them, noticing that it was just them again. Ignis and Noctis were probably still busy with important matters to join them.

She headed straight for the library after exiting the kitchens. She had made up her mind the night before and figured that that day was the perfect time to execute her plan. There was no better time than when the whole palace was abuzz with wedding preparations, she figured.

* * *

It was late into the afternoon that Noctis was finally able to excuse himself from his guests. A headache was pounding from between his eyebrows but he had no time to take a nap. He had to go and find Lightning. Their discussion the day before remained unfinished and he was sure that the pink-haired woman still had plenty of questions for him.

Upon entering the library, the first thing he noticed was the emptiness. There was no former warrior goddess there. So, he headed for the gardens but she was nowhere in sight there either. Maybe she was having a snack, he thought, and peeked in the dining room and kitchens. Nope, she wasn't there either. Where in Second Gran Pulse was she?

As awkward as he found it to be, he walked in the direction of the guest rooms. Her chambers were located nearest to the main hallway and were easily accessible. He just hoped nobody would think that he had strange plans if he was seen there. He arrived in front of her door shortly.

He knocked and cleared his throat before calling out to Light. He hoped she wasn't taking a nap, or worse, a bath. He really couldn't afford having gossip spread around when his fiancée and the council were still in the palace.

* * *

Lightning adjusted the small pouch resting on her hip before checking outside the window - the coast was clear. In the few days that she had spent in the palace, she had managed to find gaps in their security system and she made sure to take advantage of such a fact. With the stealth of an assassin, she opened the windows and slipped through them.

With her fingers clasped on the window frame and her back to the exterior wall, she positioned her feet so she could propel herself forward into the high bushes in front of her. She landed with a small thud but she was certain none of the guards heard her as they were currently changing shifts.

Crawling on her fours and sometimes performing a barrel roll, she slowly made her way to the perimeter of the palace compound. She waited for the CCTV camera to swivel before making a mad dash to the wall right beneath it. It was a blind spot that none of the security personnel probably noticed.

Gingerly, she scaled the wall while keeping her body flat on the surface. It was during times like these that she really missed having a Grav-con Unit. Still, she was thankful that there were plenty of footholds for her to use due to the ornate design of the wall. It took her only a few seconds to reach the top.

She looked down at the place where she would be landing. She had carefully studied the map of the compound and the area around it to get right where she wanted to be. Sparing one last glance at the palace, she jumped into the river.

* * *

She wasn't there. _She wasn't there_. In fact, Noctis couldn't find her anywhere.

Earlier, when he had heard no response to his knocks, he had barged into her room worried that something had happened. All that he found inside was a tidy bed. None of her belongings were there. It was as if she had never been there in the first place.

In slight panic, the prince had rushed to the foyer of his palace but there was no pink-haired person there. He thought that perhaps he had missed her so he teleported to the library to check it again. It was only then that he noticed the door of the crystal room slightly ajar. He let out a sigh of relief. The former knight was probably inside racking her brains over the crystal . . . except she wasn't there and neither was the crystal.

_What? What? What!?_

What was going on?

He had been certain that the crystal was no longer in danger of being stolen but . . . but . . . but . . . !

What was the meaning of this?

Absolutely dumbfounded, Noctis went back to the library where he finally noticed the open window on the upper floor. A light breeze had blown in, causing the curtains to flutter. He was pretty sure it had been closed when he had been in the room earlier.

Heightening his senses, he slowly approached the window. If there really was an intruder, he was determined to catch the thief and throw him in jail himself. But all that he found was a note on the ground, prevented from flying away by a book about the palace compound.

_I'll figure things out._

_I'm borrowing your crystal for a while._

_It will be safe with me._

_\- Lightning_

* * *

**_The moment I heard about Noctis being engaged, all I thought was "How disappointing." Even though the makers mentioned that the love story would not be a typical one, all I could think was "Still romance. Ah. How boring."_**


	13. To Be Found

_**Author's Note: I apologize for the delay but here is the 13th chapter.**_

* * *

Lightning stared at the blue crystal glistening in the sunlight. She had managed to successfully remove it from the palace. The problem now was that she was unsure what she was supposed to do with it.

Right after she dove into the river beyond the walls, she had simply allowed the current to take her to a small forest that surrounded some really old temple ruins. She had learned about the ancient structure when she had been studying detailed maps of Lucis for her daring escape.

Given that Lucian mythology was quite similar to what they had back in Nova Chrysalia, the former soldier figured that the ruins could give her access to the new unseen realm. The incarnations of Yeul would surely be able to give her answers about her lost memories and help her determine the best course of action from thereon.

Situating herself in the centre of the open ruins, Lightning closed her eyes and reached deep within her soul. The godlike powers she had gained when she was once merged with Etro remained within her - though she never told anyone about them. She had wanted to keep them dormant until her dying breath but it seemed that fate had other plans for her.

_Children of Hallowed Pulse scour earth, searching substance for the Door._

_Those of Fell Lindzei harvest souls, combing ether for the same._

_So have I seen._

_The Door, once shut, was locked away, with despair its secret key;_

_Sacrifice, the one hope of seeing it unsealed._

_When the twilight of the gods at last descends upon this world,_

_What emerges from the unseeable expanse beyond that Door will be but music,_

_And that devoid of words: the lamentations of the Goddess Etro, as She sobs Her song of grief._

The former champion recited analects about the Goddess from her memory. When she finished, a Time Gate appeared before her. It was similar in form to those Noel and Serah had used, but the writings were different and so was the light emitting from it.

Without any hesitation, Lightning stepped towards the portal. She loosened her guard in expectance of the floating motion that came with travelling through time and space. However, just as she was about to enter the gate, she heard someone shout her name.

It was Noctis followed by his loyal troupe of three.

If they were there to capture her for taking the crystal, she had to make haste. She could not afford them ruining her plans when she had yet to figure out anything about the real situation.

With a flick of her hand, she set the portal to close the moment she successfully made it through. It took only a millisecond for the gate to seal shut behind her. She felt quite relieved that she managed to escape successfully yet again. That is until a familiar male hand grabbed her wrist.

"I caught up with you!"

To say that she was caught by surprise would be an understatement.

"How did you-!?"

A vague memory flashed before her eyes.

_Noctis could teleport._ He must have teleported right before she could close the gate.

"Why did you come after me? Do you not trust me to return the crystal sooner or later?"

"It's not that. I just...I can't just sit back and let you deal with everything on your own again, you know?"

"And here I thought I was helping you out since you're supposed to be so busy with royal matters."

"Ah-"

"Anyway, let's go and get this over with."

"Where are we going?"

"To see those who have the answers."

* * *

Less than a minute – that was how long it took for them to reach the new unseen realm. The first thing that Lightning noticed about the place was the imposing temple-like structure reaching towards the dull grey sky. While there had been buildings in the old Valhalla, they had been ancient and broken-down. There had been none that looked like the grandiose marble structure before them.

Letting out a puff of air, the pink-haired woman walked up the short flight of stairs leading to the intricately carved wooden entrance. She heard Noctis trudging behind her and just proceeded to push open the heavy door. It was not locked and there were no guards whatsoever to worry about.

Much to their surprise, the inside of the building was filled with the sound of music. There was also an abundance of potted plants and flowers in the corners and on the tabletops. The interiors were rather feminine and fresh in contrast to the dreary atmosphere expected of the land of the dead.

It was only a short while later that a Yeul stepped into the hallway to greet them. She told them that everyone had been expecting them to come. Without giving them a chance to speak, she asked them to follow her into the dining room where all of the incarnations of Yeul were waiting.

* * *

Though it wasn't the first time for Lightning to meet them, she still found herself a bit overwhelmed at speaking to a fairly large group of girls with the same names, faces, and voices. She was expecting Noctis to have his mind blown over the scene and, true enough, she found him quite speechless upon entering the dining room.

Since it seemed that it was up to her to deal with the formalities, she nudged the prince to take a seat while she greeted everyone in the room. Noctis easily followed her silent instruction so she moved on to the important matters.

"I'm sure you are all aware why Noctis and I are here right now."

"Yes, and we are certain that you will not be pleased to hear what we have to say," responded the Yeul sitting right beside her.

"Still, it must be done to restore order among the different realms," added the Yeul sitting across Noctis.

Light subtly let out a sigh. It seemed that her work was cut out for her even though there was already a new world.

"What is going on, really?" Noctis finally found his tongue again.

"A paradox had occurred while Lightning slept causing the two of you to meet," stated the Yeul serving everyone tea.

"That event triggered the creation of hidden parallel universes," explained a Yeul helping herself to her cup of tea.

"While these parallel universes are not exactly harmful to the cycle of life itself, the actions of the people redundantly existing there may affect the lives of their counterparts in the new world," said a Yeul with a sad expression on her face.

"We tried to resolve the problem by trying to erase your meeting from the history of Valhalla but all that happened was Lightning losing her memories," sighed the Yeul to Noctis' left.

"You must set things right, as you once ordered Noel and Serah to in the past," pleaded the Yeul seated at the far end of the table.

"Rest assured. We will be there to guide you along the way," assured the Yeul with flowers in her hair.

Lightning spared a glance at Noctis and asked the Yeuls that they be excused to talk among themselves outside.

* * *

"It seems that there is a lot of work to be done in the near future. You should return to your kingdom while you can, Prince."

"I'm staying to help you. This is partly my fault, after all."

"What about your royal duties?"

"I'm sure Ignis and the others will be able to handle things while I'm away. They were able to do so the first time I was traversing realms," the prince grinned.

"Very well. Prepare to work yourself into the ground."

* * *

_**I found the analects from the Wikia page. Anyway, what do you think will happen from here on?**_


	14. To Be Hidden

_**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took a while. I was busy writing for Ghost Hunt. Hahaha~**_

_**Now, I'm stuck finding inspiration for Replacement so I decided to try updating this story instead.**_

* * *

Hiding in a closet with his left cheek squished on the wall and Light's ample chest pressed on his back was the last thing Noctis expected on their first mission together. But there it was.

The tiny room was dark and full of dusty clothes. It took a lot of their self-control to stop themselves from sneezing and catching the attention of the girl sobbing outside. From the look of things, they were going to be stuck there for a while. So, the prince took the chance to look back on how they got there in the first place.

* * *

Very soon after Lightning and Noctis agreed to fix the paradoxes caused by their meeting, they were shown into a room on the third floor by one of the Yeuls. It was a stately bedroom with two beds and dressers on the right along with a living room set in the centre. A door on the wall to the left led to a bathroom equipped with a shower, toilet, and tub. While grandiose, the room would serve as their sleeping quarters between "missions". They took it as a sign that it would take them a long while before they could go back to their own world.

After they took a short look around their room, they were directed to follow another Yeul back to the second floor. There they were shown to an equipment room which, according to the Yeul accompanying them, had been set up by Caius. It was full of weapons and armour as well as support items such as potions and antidotes. Rucksacks were also available so they would be able to easily take along whatever they wished on their journeys.

Five minutes into checking out the array of equipment, they were approached by yet another Yeul who asked them to follow her to finish their tour of sorts. This time, they were taken outside of the building through a back door. A lovely garden welcomed them outside where they walked along rows of flowers and other greenery before they arrived on a beach.

They saw a procession of people trudging towards the sea. There seemed to be no end to the queue and it was not certain where exactly the people came from. Watching the said line was Caius who left his post to a Yeul before turning to speak to Lightning.

"Hello, Caius. I did not expect to meet you again so soon."

"Alas, the situation calls for your abilities, warrior goddess."

"Stop calling me that. I'm just an average tour guide now."

"Yet you must become a warrior goddess once more to fix things."

Caius shook his head before he noticed Noctis observing their interaction.

"You must be Prince Noctis. I am Caius."

"I'm not entirely sure if I should be pleased to meet you or not given the circumstances. All the same, please take care of us from here on."

Noctis extended his hand towards Caius who shook it.

"On another note, what is this...?"

"These are the souls of the dead. Here, they are given the choice of rebirth or eternal rest," Caius began.

"Should they choose the former, they shall enter the cycle of reincarnation into the new world. Should they choose the latter, they may enter the sea for their eternal repose in the arms of Etro," Lightning continued.

"Enough about this subject though as it is not what you are here for. I am certain the Yeuls have already explained the situation to you. Also, I know you need not my help in opening time gates."

"And the Yeuls can tell us where the paradoxes are."

"That is correct. However, I may be able to assist you in getting items that you may need for your journey. For any special requests for equipment, please do not hesitate to tell me. I shall do what I can to get what you need."

"Thank you, Caius."

At that, Caius turned back to the procession while they headed back to the building.

* * *

There was nothing in the Unseen Realm to indicate the passing of time in the physical realm. Hence, Noctis was not sure how much time had passed since he and Light started selecting items to bring on their first journey.

Earlier, when they had returned to the home of the Yeuls, Light had immediately asked a Yeul about their first mission. He understood only little of what they were talking about so he didn't bother to join in on their conversation. He simply followed the pink-haired woman to the equipment room after she was done talking.

The prince cast a last glance at the few contents of his small rucksack. His companion had stated that they limit their baggage as they may have to run around a lot or even fight monsters. Lugging around a huge backpack would not help them move as quickly as they would like, they both knew that.

Light was currently leaning on the doorframe while waiting for him to finish. She had finished preparing her own little bag just a short while earlier. When she noticed Noctis approaching her, she nodded at him and they headed back to their room where a Yeul was waiting with a tray of food. They did not feel any hunger in Valhalla but they would need the energy when they enter the physical realm again.

"After our meal, we should rest. It would be good if we could even get some sleep before we head out," Light stated.

"Right. We never know if we'll be able to get any sleep wherever we may be going," Noctis agreed.

And so they meditated then slept for Etro knows how long.

* * *

When they woke, they took turns taking a shower and brushing their teeth. Noctis found it awkward to be in the same room with Lightning but she did not mind whatsoever. She had worked as a soldier before, after all. Sharing sleeping quarters with male companions was not anything new to her.

It did not take them long to get ready. Soon enough, they were in the garden at the back of the building. Caius and a few Yeuls were there to see them off and give them last-minute instructions for their first trip.

Before they knew it, Lightning had opened a time gate with the coordinates the Yeul had discussed before.

And they were off.

* * *

The place they found themselves in upon exiting the time gate was a bedroom. It was big with a four-poster bed and other expensive-looking wooden furniture. The ambience was like the kind you would read about in faerie tales about noble ladies and knights. Noctis found himself half-expecting a princess to burst into the room in a puffy gown.

Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps headed in their direction. In a flash, Lightning grabbed Noctis by the arm and shoved him into the closet. She squeezed herself in right after him. Just a moment after she managed to close the door behind her, they heard someone enter the bedroom and slam the door shut behind them.

Noctis gulped when he heard the person walking closer and closer to where he and Light were hiding. Were they going to get caught being somewhere where they shouldn't be?

The footsteps were right outside the closet door . . . and went past it. Judging from the length the person walked, they must have stopped in front of the window. Well, that was close!

Soon after, sniffles could be heard from the person. He or she was crying. It took only a short while before the sniffles became loud sobs. If her wailing voice was anything to go by, they deduced that the person outside was a girl. She seemed to be in pain but both Noctis and Light knew that they couldn't well go outside and try to comfort her lest they get into trouble for trespassing then get thrown into jail.

So, they stayed silent in their hiding place, Noctis with his left cheek squished on the wall and Lightning with her ample chest pressed on the prince's back.

* * *

_**Muhahahahahahaha~ How is that for an update? Please leave a review so I know what you think of the story so far! Thank you!**_


	15. M1: To Be Flabbergasted

_**Hello there! Sorry it took a while (I went on a holiday because I got tired of life). Anyway, a few of you tried to guess who the girl is but I'm sorry to say that none of you were able to hit the mark. Good luck next time though!**_

* * *

It was roughly an hour after they had hidden themselves in the closet that the connected bedroom finally quieted down. They heard no sniffle or any other peep from the once-wailing occupant so they assumed that she had eventually fallen asleep in her sorrow. With a small nod, Noctis silently asked Lightning to open the door. The latter immediately took hold of the knob which she slowly but surely turned.

Through the widening crack in the frame, they noticed that the room outside was dark save for the moonlight streaming through the tall glass windows. They were quite thankful for the fact as the night would enable them to sneak around the building better. They had no idea where they were or what they were supposed to deal with so it was more prudent to act cautiously until they had a good grasp of the situation.

Gingerly, they exited their hiding place when the door opened wide enough for their bodies to squeeze through. Who they assumed to be the crying girl earlier was currently snoozing on the four-poster bed in the centre of the room. She was drabbed in a puffy long-sleeved dress that reached below her knees and her orange curls were spread against the pillows. Many people would have considered her cute amidst the drying tear streaks on her cheeks.

Wait a minute—

"_Vanille?_" Lightning whispered to herself as she approached the sleeping girl.

The jaw line, the nose, the forehead—it really was Vanille! Is this what Yeul meant about people redundantly existing in this parallel universe? Was there a Fang in this world too? How about a Serah or a Hope?

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, Light felt Noctis graze her wrist with his fingertips. She turned to him who tilted his head to the door. Casting one last glance at this other Vanille, the former knight heeded the request and they stepped out of the bedroom.

Without so many words, they slinked down the dim hallway that was lit by few wall sconces. It was only two doors down that they peeked into another bedroom which they fortunately found empty. The chamber appeared to be unused as all of the furnishings were securely covered in sheets. Somehow, they felt that the room had been setup to be left alone for a long period of time. This was odd considering that there was somebody residing in the bedroom from before.

Deciding that they didn't have time to contemplate about empty bedrooms, Noctis walked up to the windows. They looked like typical glass windows at first glance and they even had tiny knobs to lock them closed. Upon closer inspection, however, the prince found that while a person could open the panes and let some air in, nobody could enter or exit through the frames. Narrow metal bars were in place with gaps only wide enough to accommodate hands and arms that wished to open or close the windows. They gave the impression of being locked in a lunatic asylum or even a prison.

* * *

"Let's check out the room across the hallway," the prince said silently.

They were squatting behind what they assumed to be a sofa and discussing their next course of action.

"Right. If we can't get out through there, we may have no other choice but to directly approach Vanille."

"That girl...I think I saw her at the inn where you worked."

"She was assigned to the dining room."

"I see. Well, let's not waste any time. Let's go."

Taking that as their cue, they exited the bedroom and snuck into the one right across the hallway from it. This one was also pretty empty. Not to mention that every surface was covered in thick layers of dust. Thankfully, there were no metal bars on the windows this time so they were able to exit the building through there.

Where they found themselves in next was an inner courtyard. From what they could gather of its breadth and length, the large space was rectangular. The building loomed from all four sides while pitiful looking trees and other foliage were scattered about. One could also see a dry fountain or two along with a few bird baths filled with murky water.

If you went by its design and furnishings, you would think the place was a well-appointed mansion though it was not well-kept. The metal bars on the windows were just plain odd though and there seemed to be a distinct lack of staff or even guards. Did the Vanille in this universe actually live here or was she a prisoner of sorts? Neither Lightning nor Noctis could be certain about the implications of what they had observed so far. Maybe a look around the surrounding area would help them on this mission.

The exterior walls of the building were made of stone so it would not be a problem to scale them. They could then just walk across the roof and climb down the other side so they could leave the actual compound. The problem was they could not be sure if it would be wise to go without talking to Vanille first. If she really did reside there, they would be considered trespassers. Getting into trouble was the last thing they wanted.

They stuck close to the walls and hid in the shadows to avoid detection from whoever was inside the building. Little did they know that somebody had already noticed their presence the moment they had tried to open the sealed windows earlier.

"Are you done with your private tour yet?"

The man's voice spoke from the shadows of the tree in front of them. How could they not have sensed his approach? They were about to pull out their weapons but the man beat them to it when they heard the clicking of a trigger.

"Don't make a move."

Both Lightning and Noctis slowly rose to their feet with their hands raised before them to show that they weren't armed. The person who managed to sneak up on them also took slow steps to reveal himself to them. Obviously, what could first be seen of him was his hand clasped around his gun; his weapon trained on Light's head. Next was his arm, then his shoulder and right leg, followed by the rest of his body along with his face.

"Hope!?"

The silver-haired young man raised an eyebrow at the woman in front of him.

"You know my real name?"

* * *

_**Did any of you see that coming? *evil laugh* What do you think will happen next? What is this mission all about anyway!? Stay tuned and tell me what you think in the reviews! :)**_


	16. M1: To Be Overwhelmed

A light breeze blew through the courtyard, rustling the boughs of the trees. Dappled shadows danced across the moonlit floor and on the Hope standing in front of both Noctis and Lightning.

Light took in all that she could of the person before her. She couldn't be entirely sure if he was friend or foe in this parallel universe. He appeared to be in his early twenties which matched his form in the new world. From the look of his clothes though, he didn't appear to be a researcher of any sort.

"Who are you and how did you even get in here?"

Both 'intruders' decided to stay silent as they were unsure of the situation. And so, the barrel of the gun remained trained on Lightning. Hope must have figured that Noctis wouldn't make any sudden moves or risk getting his companion shot.

It was supposed to be a tense scene but Light felt a semblance of pride in her heart instead. No matter what the situation may be on this world, Hope still ended up becoming a capable person and she felt proud somehow.

They all stood there, staring the other party down. Hope probably thought that he had the upper hand. The problem was that he had no idea just what Noctis was capable of.

In the blink of an eye, a sword burst into existence and slashed away the gun. This was followed by the prince tackling down Hope.

"Don't hurt him too much," said Lightning teasingly.

"TSK! What do you want from me?!" growled Hope who was desperately trying to escape the chokehold that Noctis had on him.

"Relax. We're not here to harm you. We're actually kind of lost," joked the prince.

"That's not possible! This place is in the middle of nowhere!" Hope's cheek was flat on the ground as Noctis tied up his wrists with a handkerchief (which was limited edition as it had the Caelum insignia embroidered on it, by the way).

Lightning crouched in front of Hope and looked him in the eye. "What if we told you that we came from another universe?"

* * *

Noctis kept his weapons ready as both he and Light followed after Hope.

"There's no need for that. There's nobody else here. No guards. Not even any servants."

Light thought back to the Vanille who had cried herself to sleep in an upstairs bedroom. Soon after, all of them arrived in front of a large door which Hope entered – it was a dark dining room. Sitting innocently on top of the table was a small spread of food.

"I was having supper when some intruders interrupted me," Hope explained as he walked towards a chair. "Would you care to join me...?"

Noctis and Lightning jumped apart as a spear narrowly missed slashing them from above.

"...Fang?" Hope finished.

"I sure could use some grub...right after I deal with these two. ARGH!" she slashed at the prince while she kicked Light in the stomach. She was as strong as Lightning remembered.

"Wait! We're not here to fight!" The prince tried reasoning out.

"That's what people normally say before they stab you in the back!" Fang threw a punch to his side but he blocked it with a sword. A drop-kick landed on Fang's shoulder courtesy of Light but then a bullet flew past her nose before Hope started raining more bullets on her and Noctis.

The prince teleported to a corner of the ceiling while Light ducked behind the dining table. Simultaneously, they charged at their opponents. Noctis teleported behind Fang and slammed her into the wall with his elbow. Meanwhile, Light kicked a chair towards Hope and shot the gun out of his hand.

Fang threw her spear straight towards Lightning as Hope brought out a small bomb from his jacket pocket. Noctis grabbed Light just before the spear landed and made for the door.

Just as they burst out of the room, they ran straight into none other than Vanille.

"Oh! Oh my! What's going on here?"

Lightning grabbed the orange-haired girl and turned to Fang and Hope. Seeing what his companion had done, Noctis immediately made a wall of swords between the two groups.

"Put away the bomb. We just want to talk."

* * *

"So let me get this straight: you're from another universe and you came here to help us fix a problem?" Fang asked from across the coffee table as Vanille served everybody some refreshments.

"That's right. We're here to provide assistance for something you are having trouble with," Noctis explained. He and Light had decided that it was best to keep their mission vague like that as explaining about paradoxes and parallel universes was likely going to take a long time, even if they were facing Hope.

Vanille, Hope, and Fang said nothing as the seconds ticked by. Their silence seemed to speak a lot of things though; there really was a problem but they were reluctant to share it with anybody else.

"If...if you really are from another world, you should first know about what's happening around here," Vanille started.

"Well, no better place to start the story than from the very beginning," Fang cajoled as Vanille continued.

* * *

"_There's this story about a prosperous and powerful kingdom that existed a hundred years ago. It was said that the kingdom had been blessed by the gods and that their power came from a powerful spirit called an eidolon."_

"_This kingdom was ruled by a just king, who lived with his queen and their princess. Everyone had been happy then. However, when the princess was but only a young girl, the king fell seriously ill. The whole kingdom desperately tried to save him. But, no matter what kind of medicine or magic they used, he could not be healed. Soon after, he died and everyone mourned for him."_

"_The queen, who had so loved the king, could not accept that he was gone forever. She was said to have spent most of her time in her room and in the towers while the courtiers were left to manage the kingdom. She had become a totally different person, even towards her daughter."_

"_On the eve of her 18__th__ birthday, the princess discovered what her mother had been doing behind closed doors: she had been researching on how to bring back the dead...and this entailed calling forth the power of the gods, power that could be enough to destroy the planet."_

"_By chance, some of the most powerful warriors and magicians in the world were in the kingdom for the celebration. The princess immediately asked for their help in stopping her mother. Yet, they were too late. The queen had managed to successfully summon the eidolon sleeping beneath the kingdom."_

"_Not all hope was lost, however. Seeking help from the gods, the brave heroes were able to seal away the eidolon again with the crown princess serving as the living seal. Peace was once again restored to the world. In exchange, the kingdom lost its source of power and they closed themselves off from the rest of the world. They were never heard from again."_

* * *

"Legend states that the sealing magic continues to exist within the descendants of the princess. The story doesn't end there though. Eighty years ago, a seer had a vision that the seal would be broken around this time and that the eidolon would once again be set free. Many kingdoms across the world saw this as a chance for them to gain the power of the gods and they have been searching for this lost kingdom and its ruler ever since."

"But what does that story have anything to do with you?" Lightning asked and Fang was the one to talk this time.

"Almost a month ago, Vanille and I were journeying from one town to another when a thunderstorm hit. We got ourselves pretty lost and we were desperately in need of shelter. We stuck close to a mountain range with the hope that we would find a cave. We found one tucked underneath a thick layer of vines and we stayed there waiting for the rain to pass. The rain didn't want to let up though so while passing the time inside that cave, we decided to see where it led. Who knew that it would take us straight into a small forest? And in the middle of that forest is this place right here."

Fang ended her story with a smirk on her face as she finished her coffee.

"And? What about the eidolon?" Noctis was the one who raised a question this time.

"Ahh. I knew you were going to ask that," Fang sighed and turned to the silent young man beside her. "I guess it's your turn to talk."

Hope clenched his fists and seemed utterly reluctant to speak, but decided to do so anyway. If these people could help them, if there was a chance for them to get out of this situation without people getting hurt, he would gamble everything.

"...The legend was wrong about one thing. The princess doesn't have 'descendants'. She has a son: me."

. . .

"But that would mean that you're almost a hundred years old," Noctis blurted out in shock.

With a sad smile, Hope explained further.

"When my mother became a living seal, she became unable to die. I am certain this was crafted by the gods to ensure that the eidolon would remain asleep until the right time came for it to reawaken. When I turned 21, a special rite was performed for me to bear the duty of being the living seal. My mother became mortal again while I gained immortality. Ideally, I was to marry, bear a child, and transfer the duty to my heir when they came of age. However, the vision came soon after my rites. The kingdom knew of the chaos that was to come and I was made to hide here until the fighting ended."

* * *

_**Author's Note: Hi! Sorry! I know it's been so long. I got a new job and I've been so very busy keeping my head above the water. Whew~ Anyway, here's a relatively longer chapter to make up for my long absence. It might be a while before I get to update this again. I'm so sorry in advance! T_T**_


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